Method and System for Selecting a Wireless Network for Offloading

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a method and system for selecting a wireless network for offloading network traffic from another network. In one embodiment, a method and system for offloading network traffic in a wireless user terminal from a first network, such as cellular network, onto a second network, such as a WiFi network, includes determining a measure of the relationship between the user of the wireless user terminal and the owner of the access point for the second network. The measure of the relationship can be used to provide an indication of the likelihood that the owner of the access point will grant access to the user of the wireless user terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims any and all benefits as provided by law,including benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/475,570 filed Apr. 27, 2011, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/400,056 filed Feb. 18, 2012, and claims any and all benefitsas provided by law of the prior filed applications and the contents ofthe earlier filed application is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/441,827 filed May 25, 2006, and claims any and all benefitsas provided by law of the prior filed applications and the contents ofthe earlier filed application is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 13/362,554,filed on Jan. 31, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a method and system for selecting awireless network access point for offloading network traffic fromanother network. More specifically, the method and system for offloadingnetwork traffic includes determining a measure of the relationshipbetween the user of the wireless user terminal and the owner/operator ofthe access point for the second network that can be used to provide anindication of the likelihood that the owner/operator of the access pointwill grant access to the user of the wireless user terminal.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In so called “walled garden” environments, such as cellular networks(voice and data), the network is fully owned and operated by cellularoperator and the cellular operator controls all aspects of access to thenetwork. Conversely, the ownership and management of local wirelessnetworks, such as WiFi networks, are owned and operated by many separateentities (individuals and companies) and thus form a fragmented andheterogeneous collection of wireless networks. While cellular datanetwork resources tend to be limited (both in terms of bandwidth andaccess locations) and in many locations utilized to capacity, localwireless resources tend to be readily available and underutilized. Inmany situations, it may be desirable to enable a wireless user terminal,such as a smart phone or cellular connected device to offload some orall of its voice and/or data communication functions to a local wirelessnetwork, such as a WiFi network. This enables cellular network carriersto expand their user capacity without the added expensive of cellularresource equipment (e.g., cellular network towers and transceivers,microcells, etc.).

However, because the local wireless networks are fragmented andheterogeneous, there are many different technologies (e.g., IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, WiMAX), access methods (e.g., WPA, WPA2 WEP, Captive Portal)and many different and diverse owners/operators, obtaining access tothese diverse networks can be a complicated and tedious process.

SUMMARY

Consequently, it is desirable to provide a specialized mechanism toperform the functions and operations associated with facilitating theselection of the local wireless network access point for offloading. Theprocess can include identifying local wireless networks that offerpotential opportunities for offloading, obtaining the necessaryinformation (e.g., keys, passwords and/or access credentials) toestablish a connection to these local wireless networks for offloading,and properly managing this information.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the method andsystem for facilitating the management of offloading opportunities caninclude one or more components or modules for the discovery of availablelocal wireless network access points (“APs”), one or more components ormodules for facilitating the transfer of network access information(e.g., keys, passwords and/or access credentials) that minimize theuser's involvement (e.g., centralized management and sharing of keys,passwords and access credentials); and one or more components or modulesfor encouraging the subscriber or cellular network user to establish anetwork connection to one of the local wireless networks to enableoffloading from the cellular network to the local wireless network.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the method andsystem the method and system for facilitating the management ofoffloading opportunities can include as part of the discovery of localwireless network access points, one or more components or modules fordetermining one or more relationship coefficients. The relationshipcoefficients can be determined as a function of information relating toor indicating the nature of relationships between the user of thewireless user terminal and owner or operator of the local wireless AP.At least one of the relationship coefficients can indicate thelikelihood that an owner or operator will provide the owner of awireless user terminal access (e.g., by providing access information) totheir local wireless network. In addition, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention, the method and system can includecomparing at least one of the relationship coefficients to a predefinedthreshold and where the relationship coefficient, for example, is equalto or exceeds the predefined threshold, the wireless user terminal caninitiate a procedure for obtaining access to one or more wirelessnetwork APs.

In accordance with implementations of the invention, one or more of thefollowing capabilities may be provided. The system and method accordingto the invention provide a mechanism for ranking and/or filteringwireless network access points that are discovered by a wireless userterminal in order to facility the selection of APs that meet the desiredcriteria.

These and other capabilities of the invention, along with the inventionitself, will be more fully understood after a review of the followingfigures, detailed description, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for offloading cellular networkonto a local wireless network according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for determining a terminal associatedwith an access point owner according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for requesting access informationaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an alternate method for requesting accessinformation according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for selecting an access point torequest access information for according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic showing the relationship between relationshipcoefficients, access points and wireless user terminals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed to methods and system for facilitatingthe discovery of access points, the establishment of connections withthe access points and the management of connections to local wirelessnetwork through the access points that can enable wireless userterminals to offload cellular wireless network traffic (voice and data)onto local wireless networks. The local wireless networks can include,but are not limited to, WiFi networks (e.g., IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/nnetworks, WiMAX). The invention can be used by any wireless userterminal that has the capability to connect to two wireless networks. Byway of example, the wireless user terminal can be a smart phone capableof connecting to the subscriber's cellular network and an alternativewireless network, such as a WiFi network. Alternatively, the wirelessuser terminal can be any device capable of connecting to two separatenetworks. In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, themethod and system can include a component or module that enables themanagement of the information used to establish connections to analternative wireless network.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the method andsystem for facilitating the management of offloading opportunities caninclude one or more components or modules for the discovery of localwireless network access points (“APs”), one or more components ormodules for facilitating the transfer of network access information(e.g., keys, passwords and/or access credentials) that minimize theuser's involvement (e.g., centralized management and sharing of keys,passwords and access credentials); and one or more components or modulesfor encouraging the subscriber or cellular network user to establish anetwork connection to one of the local wireless networks to enableoffloading from the cellular network to the local wireless network.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the method andsystem the method and system for facilitating the management ofoffloading opportunities can include as part of the discovery of localwireless network offloading access points one or more components ormodules for determining one or more relationship coefficients. Therelationship coefficients can be determined as a function of informationrelating to or indicating the nature of relationships between the userof the wireless user terminal and owner or operator of the localwireless AP. At least one of the relationship coefficients can indicatethe likelihood that an owner or operator will provide the owner of awireless user terminal access to their local wireless network. Inaddition, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention, themethod and system can include comparing at least one of the relationshipcoefficients to a predefined threshold and where the relationshipcoefficient, for example meets or exceeds the predefined threshold, thewireless user terminal can initiate a procedure for obtaining access toone or more wireless network APs. In some embodiments, the relationshipcoefficient and the threshold can be selected whereby the relationshipcoefficient is compared with the predefined threshold and procedure forobtaining access to the wireless network access point is initiated whenthe relationship coefficient is below the predefined threshold.

FIG. 1 shows a system 100 according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention. The system 100 can include a plurality of wirelessuser terminals 130 and 135 that can communicate using a carrier cellularnetwork (no shown) and can communicate using a wireless local areanetwork. The wireless local area network includes a plurality ofwireless network access points 112, 114 and 116 connected to a network102, such as the internet. The system 100 can also include a centralserver 120 and the central server 120 can include a database 122 fornetwork information, access point owner/operator identificationinformation and network access information. In accordance with someembodiments of the invention, the wireless user terminals can be invarious locations during a period time, such as a day. For example,wireless use terminal 130 can be in the proximity of wireless accesspoint 112 at one point in time or during specific time period, beforemoving proximate wireless access point 114 and then wireless accesspoint 116.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, each wirelessterminal can collect data about each AP within range of the wirelessuser terminal over a period of time, at a given time of day and/orduring a day of the week. For example, in one embodiment, the terminalcan determine the number of times that an AP is within range at varioustimes or time periods during the day, for example, in the morning, atnoon time, in the afternoon and in the evening. This information can becollected on a daily basis or broken down further according to workingdays, and weekend days and holidays. This information can be used todetermine relationships between the user of the wireless terminal and agiven AP. In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, byfiltering (or ranking) by proximity, frequency and time of day,assumptions about the nature of the AP can be made. For example, the APhaving the highest signal strength and highest frequency in the nighttime or evening can be presumed to be a home AP. This can be furtherconfirmed where the signal strength and frequency are also high duringweekend days and holidays. In another example, the AP having the highestsignal strength during the morning and afternoon time periods can bepresumed to a work AP. In a further example, the AP having the highestsignal strength during noon time can be presumed to be a favorite lunchplace. Table 1 below shows an example of how the data can be collectedand organized for a given wireless terminal.

TABLE 1 AP1 AP2 AP3 AP4 AP5 APn Morning 12 35 10 23 57 251 Noon 89 3 4515 3 121 Afternoon 1 11 32 6 9 213 Evening/ 10 356 1 2 0 7 Night

Table 1 represents a set of APs “seen” (discovered and determined to bewithin range of the wireless terminal) and reported by a given wirelessterminal over a period of time. In one embodiment the wireless terminalcan be referenced according to its telephone number. Table 1 shows thatAP1 has been detected frequently at noon time while AP2 has beendetected many times during evening/night periods and APn has beendetected with high frequency during work hours. In accordance with someembodiments of the invention, AP2 can be associated with the home orresidence of the user of the wireless terminal while Apt can beassociated with a popular lunch place. In addition, APn can beassociated with the user's place of employment.

Each of the detected APs provides a potential opportunity for offloadingnetwork traffic from the cellular network used by the wireless userterminals. This may be particularly desirable when a wireless userterminal is in a location that receives poor cellular network service,such as an office building, a shopping mall or a remote location. Inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention, one of the initialsteps includes the discovery of APs that provide a potential opportunityfor offloading. Where the AP is open (e.g., does not require a key,password or access credentials) the wireless user terminal can beautomatically configured to connect to the access point and a furthersystem, component or module can determine whether or not to use thewireless network connection through that AP to offload cellularservices. Examples of these system are disclosed in commonly owned U.S.patent application Ser. Nos. 13/400,056 and 13/362,554, both of which ishereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, where the wirelessuser terminal includes location determination capability, such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) or other location based servicesfunctionality, the location of the AP can be collected. The location ofthe AP can be used to determine a street address and a telephone numberto associate with the AP.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the discoveryfunction is directed to using wireless user terminals to discoverwireless APs and determine any potential relationships between theowners or operators of the wireless APs and the users of the wirelessterminals. In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, thewireless user terminals can be any device that includes two or morewireless connections, including, but not limited to, cellulartelephones, smart-phones, tablet computers, laptops and other portablecomputing devices and equipment. In accordance with some embodiments,the wireless user terminal can also include a vehicle that providestransportation, for example a train that uses cellular data services toprovide data services to passengers, but uses WiFi networks inunderground tunnels and stations where cellular data service is poor. Inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention, AP can be any devicethat can provide an alternative wireless network connection for thewireless user terminal, including, but not limited to, WiFi accesspoints and routers, femto-cells, micro-cells and similar devices.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a system andmethod are provided for determining the likelihood that a particularterminal Ti is able to obtain Internet access through access point Aj,if in sufficient proximity. In accordance with the invention, one ormore relationship coefficients, Cij (e.g., having a value=0 to 1) aredetermined based on additional data, such as the frequency data shown inTable 1. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the value 0can signify no likelihood for access while a value of 1 can signifycertainty of access. In accordance with some embodiments of theinvention, the value of relationship coefficient, C can be determined asa function of an AP owner's apparent intention (e.g., a public APprovides open access to all visitors, a private business' APs providesaccess that can be restricted to customers and other select users)and/or the nature and/or extent of social, business or otherrelationships between the user and the owner of the AP. For example,close friends will normally allow access to each other's APs, whilestrangers will not likely share access with each other. Businessassociates might provide access, but probability of providing access maydepend on the nature of the business or other relationship between theindividuals or the businesses.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, for example, aWiFi router and its owner would have relationship coefficient “C” thatis very close to 1, meaning that the owner is highly likely to provideaccess to herself/himself. And accordingly, a wireless user terminal andWiFi access points that belong to two strangers will likely have arelationship coefficient that is close to 0. In further examples, asecond order family member visiting may have a higher relationshipcoefficient, for example, C=0.8, a patient visiting doctor's office mayhave relationship coefficient, C=0.5. In addition, the relationshipcoefficient can change over time, for example, where the relationshipbetween the owner of the AP and the owner of the wireless user terminalchange over time. For example, a user makes a new friend and the friendowns an AP. Over time, the frequency that the AP is in range of theuser's wireless terminal increases and, as a result, the relationshipcoefficient can increase as well. In accordance with some embodiments ofthe invention, when the frequency of detection of an AP decreases, thesystem can be configured to keep the same or reduce the relationshipcoefficient between the AP and wireless user terminal. In accordancewith some embodiments, the relationship coefficient can be decreasedusing an aging mechanism that reduces the relationship coefficient ifthe relationship coefficient or any of the factors do not increase overa predefined period of time.

In accordance with the invention, public APs can be considered a specialcase, where the relationship coefficient, C, is relatively high becausethe owner of the AP provides open access intentionally.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a predeterminedaccess threshold can be set and periodically the relationshipcoefficient, C can be compared to the threshold. The result of thecomparison can be used to trigger or initiate a process through whichthe wireless user terminal can receive the information it needs toconnect to the AP and obtain network access, for example, an internetconnection. In accordance with some embodiments, where a largerrelationship coefficient indicates a higher likelihood of access, whenthe relationship coefficient reaches or exceeds the threshold (e.g.,C>=0.75), a procedure to obtain access can be triggered. The value ofthe threshold can vary from environment to environment. In accordancewith some embodiments of the invention, the threshold value can bedetermined by collecting historical data.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the relationshipcoefficient can be determined primarily as a function of socialrelationships, including, but not limited to, family, friends, customer,student, for example. In accordance with these embodiments, it is usefulto associate APs with their owners or operators and wireless userterminals with their uses. In accordance with some embodiments, the oneor more relationship coefficients can be determined as a function of APopenness. For example, a public hotspot AP can include a factor thatincreases (e.g., either additively or by multiplication) therelationship coefficient with each user and a private AP can either notuse such a factor (e.g., the factor is set to 0 or 1) or the factor canbe selected such that it decreases (e.g., either subtractively or bymultiplication) the relationship coefficient.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, one or more of therelationship coefficients, C, can be determined using behavioral andcontextual analysis. For example, behavioral information can beextracted from data that is obtained by users' terminals and stored at acentralized database. This data can include, but is not limited to, forexample, wireless access point scan results (e.g., determining for eachAP, a set of SSID, MAC address, and RSSI values for each, the locationand time that the scan was made, the external IP address (e.g., whenconnected) to identify the network connection provider (e.g., ISP) andobtain information about the provider, and contextual data the can beobtained from information stored on the wireless user terminals (e.g.,the user's contact list, the user's call/text/email histories, theuser's telephone number or other phone identifier, such as EIN, theuser's email address and other information stored on the phone that canbe used to identify the user and people who have a relationship with theuser of the wireless terminal.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a high degree ofreliability of the relationship coefficient can be obtained bydetermining the relationship coefficient as a function of many factors(e.g., behavioral, social and contextual factor). For example, a highrelationship coefficient value can be determined where the user havebeen determined to be close proximity to a particular access point manytimes (e.g. over a short period of time) or for long periods of time(e.g., including both frequency and duration of time). In addition, thetime of a day and/or the days in a week when the wireless user terminalwas in close proximity to a given access points can be an indicator ofthe type of relationships. This information can be compared with what isknown about societal behavior. For example, where the wireless userterminal is frequently in proximity to a specific AP during the night,the location is likely to be the user's residence or that of a familymember. In a further example, if the wireless user terminal isfrequently in proximity to an AP during working hours, the user islikely to be at their place of work or a regular guest that suggests arequest for access will successful.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, one or morecontextual indicators can be used to determine one or more relationshipcoefficients. In one example, the information stored on the wirelessuser terminal including, but not limited to, the user's contacts listand use history (e.g., the call logs, text message history/inbox)indicating other people contacted and how frequently can be used todetermine one or more relationship coefficients. For example, if the APowner (individual or business entity) can be found in the contacts listor use history (e.g., either by telephone number or name) than thesystem or method can consider there is an increased likelihood of apersonal relationship and the relationship coefficient can be increased,(e.g., either additively or by multiplication). In accordance with someembodiments of the invention, increased reliability of the relationshipcoefficient to predict a relationship that is likely to grant access canbe determined as a function the two factors, the frequent proximity andpresence in contact list. In accordance with some embodiments, separaterelationship coefficients, one based on frequent proximity and one basedon presence in a contact list or history log can be determined and thecoefficients can either be used separately or can be combined to form asingle coefficient.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, one or morerelationship coefficients can be determined as part of a process forobtaining access to an AP. Access can be obtained by the receipt ofaccess information including, but not limited to, a network accesspassword or key (e.g., a WEP key, a WPA key or password) or othercredentials (e.g., captive portal credentials) that enables the wirelessuser terminal to connect to the AP and establish a network connection.

The process can include the following elements: a) collect AP scanresults from terminals to build time and proximity table for eachterminal; b) determine AP owner/operator information to enable thewireless user terminal to generate an access request when therelationship coefficient value reaches the preset threshold; thisinformation can include, for example, AP name or identifier, MAC addressand associated owner/operator identifier (e.g., telephone number, name,email address); c) determine if the owner/operator identifier (e.g.,telephone # or email address) is found in the wireless user terminalcontact list or use history; Optionally, the frequency of calls, text,or emails to the owner/operator identifier(s) by searching the usehistory can also be determined and compared to a threshold; d) If theowner/operator identifier(s) are found in the contact list and/or thecontact history is sufficiently frequent (e.g., above a threshold), thewireless user terminal can generate an access request to the userterminal of the owner/operator of the AP; and e) upon receipt of therequest at the terminal of the owner/operator, a determination can bemade whether grant access. Access can be granted by transferring theaccess request information.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a relationshipcoefficient can be determined for the user of the wireless terminalmaking the request. The relationship coefficient can be determined bythe terminal of the AP owner/operator as a function of one or more ofthe contextual indicators (e.g., presence in the contact list,call/SMS/email history etc.). If the contextual coefficient is above apredefined threshold, the terminal of the owner/operator can send theaccess information to the wireless user terminal and the wireless userterminal can use the access information to connect to the AP and obtainnetwork access.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, an indication ordialog box can be presented to the user on the wireless user terminal toenable the user to confirm that the request can be sent to the userterminal of the AP owner/operator when it is triggered. The indicationor dialog box can simply state that a request for access is being sentto the AP owner/operator and the user can either approve or disapprove(e.g., via OK and Cancel buttons) to allow the process to continue. Inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention, an indication ordialog box can be presented on the user terminal of the APowner/operator to notify the owner/operator of the request for accessand/or enable the AP owner/operator to confirm that access should begranted and access information should be sent. The indication or dialogbox can simply state that a request for access has been received fromthe user and the AP owner/operator can either approve or disapprove(e.g., via OK and Cancel buttons) to allow the process to continue.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, at each step orelement of process a new relationship coefficient can be calculated. Forexample, if the trigger is to be based on a strong contextualindication, the relationship coefficient can be set to a relativelylarger initial value when the AP owner/operator is determine to be inuser's contact list and/or the coefficient can be incremented if thecall/text/email history is or becomes very active. In some embodimentsof the invention, the magnitude of the increase or increment can belarger (e.g., either additively or by multiplication) as a function ofthe increase communication activity. For example, where the user and theAP owner/operator correspond once per week, the increase in therelationship coefficient can increase by a small value (e.g., 1% or0.01), whereas if the user and the AP owner/operator correspond once perday, the increase in the relationship coefficient can increase by alarger value (e.g., 10% or 0.10).

In accordance with some embodiments, frequency of proximity can be usedas an initial filter and password exchange trigger in the relationshipdetermination process. In this embodiment, the frequency and time of dayvalues that a wireless user terminal has been in proximity to an AP canbe used to determine potential relationships. Where the frequency and/ortime of day values are relatively low (e.g., less than a threshold, suchas 5), no potential for offloading to that AP is indicated.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, identification ofthe AP owner/operator is useful for the determination of relationshipcoefficients that are determined as a function of contextual factors,such as whether the AP owner/operator is in the contacts list. Inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention, the system canassociate the terminal of the AP owner/operator with the AP throughbehavioral data such as “hours access point was seen by the terminal” orcontextual data, the act of setting up the connection to the AP toobtain Internet access by manually inputting the password or otheraccess credential. After a wireless user terminal is identified as an APowner/operator's terminal, the International Mobile Subscriber Identity(IMSI) can be obtained (by software client in the terminal) and thisinformation can be used to obtain the AP owner/operator's telephonenumber that can subsequently be associated with the AP. The telephonenumber allows anybody that has this telephone number in his contact listto identify the AP owner/operator.

FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of a method 200 for identifying theowner/operator of an AP and associating owner/operator identifyinginformation (e.g., a telephone number or email address) with an AP. Inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention, where the wirelessuser terminal frequently discovers a wireless network AP during thetimes that the use is normally expected to be home and the networkaccess information was entered manually, one can presume that thewireless network AP is owned or controlled by the user. At 202, a mobileuser terminal is selected and at 204, the data gathered by the wirelessuser terminal relating wireless network APs that are within reach of thewireless user terminal can be sorted or filtered to identify the APdetected most frequently during evening or early morning. This can beaccomplished using software, such as a software client, executed on thewireless user terminal to sort or filter AP data. At 206, the system cancheck to determine whether network access information (e.g., key,password or network access information) was entered manually. At 208, ifthe network access information was entered manually, the telephonenumber of the user's wireless terminal and/or any other user identifyinginformation can be used as an AP owner/operator identifying information.This AP owner/operator identifying information and the association ofthis information can be stored in local memory on the wireless userterminal and can be sent of storage to a central server, such as server120 and stored in a database, such as database 122.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, there is littleneed to associate a public AP with its owner's phone number but it canbe useful to identify the AP as function of behavioral and/or contextualinformation. For example, using the time and proximity information, theAP can be identified by when the most opportunities for connectionoccur, such as morning, noon or afternoon. Alternatively, the AP can beidentified based on information provided by the AP itself, such as theSSID or external IP address assigned. The SSID normally includes anindication of the name of the business or entity that operates the AP orprovides a hint to business name. Further, the IP address can also beused to lookup the name of the owner/operator. In accordance with someembodiments of the invention, the identity of the AP can be determinedby AP location information available from the wireless user terminal(e.g., GPS or IP address based location services).

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the relationshipcoefficient can be determined as a function of one or more of thefollowing relationship factors—time of day that AP is in range andaccessible; the average RSSI determined; is the identifier of the APowner/operator in the user's contact list; the number of calls in/outwith the AP owner/operator in call history list (e.g., in total or overa period of time); the number of SMSs and/or emails to/from the AP ownerin the wireless terminal history (e.g., stored on the terminal or over aperiod of time); is the user in the AP owner/operator's contact list;the number of calls in/out with the user in the AP owner/operator callhistory list (e.g., in total or over a period of time); the number ofSMSs and/or emails to/from the user in the AP owner/operator's terminalhistory (e.g., stored on the terminal or over a period of time); type ofAP (e.g., public or private). In accordance with some embodiments of theinvention, the relationship coefficient can be determined by equation(1) below:

$\begin{matrix}{{RelationshipCoefficient} = {\sum\limits_{1}^{k}{a_{k}x_{k}}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

where x_(k) is one or more of the relationship factors identified aboveand a_(k) is a normalizing factor that can be added to or multipliedwith the relationship factors. In accordance with one embodiment, k=

1. Time Periods AP detected

2. Average RSSI detected

3. AP owner/operator found in user contact list

4. Number of calls in/out with AP owner/operator in user call history

5. Number of SMSs with AP owner/operator in user SMS history over apredefined time period

6. User found in AP owner/operator contact list

7. Number of calls in/out to user in AP owner/operator call history

8. Number of SMSs with user in AP owner/operator SMS history over apredefined time period

9. Type of access point (e.g., private or public), if public, x getsmaximum value.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, therelationship coefficient increases as the process progresses. If thevalue of the relationship coefficient exceeds a predetermined threshold,a request for access information can be initiated.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the process fordetermining one or more relationship coefficients and subsequently thelikelihood to obtain Internet access through the AP can be used toestablish a connection with the AP for the purpose of offloading networktraffic onto the wireless network provided by the AP.

Once an AP is associated with an owner/operator identifier, such as aphone number or determined to be public (including associated businessname) the system can identify APs that are potential candidates foroffloading. In accordance with some embodiments, a software client onthe wireless user terminal can search the user contact list, the phonecall history, email history (e.g., inbox, outbox), SMS history and otherinformation stored on the wireless user terminal. Using the frequencyand proximity information, candidate APs can be further selected forconnection opportunity based on time of day availability and frequency(e.g., higher indicates a better opportunity candidate). For example,from Table 1, the wireless user terminal can select AP1 during noon timeand get the owner/operator identifier (e.g., the phone number) of AP1.Next, the software client can search for the owner/operator identifier(e.g., phone number) in the user's contact list to identify the name ofthe owner/operator. If the search is successful, a factor can be addedto the relationship component and more analysis can be done: a) thesoftware client can count how many times the AP owner/operator called orwas called in a predetermined time period and if the count is greaterthan a predetermined threshold the relationship component can beincreased by the amount of one of the factors; b) the software clientcan count how many email messages were sent to or received from the APowner/operator and if the count is greater than a predeterminedthreshold the relationship component can be increased by the amount ofone of the factors; c) the software client can count how many SMSmessages were sent to or received from the AP owner/operator and if thecount is greater than a predetermined threshold the relationshipcomponent can be increased by the amount of one of the factors.

In accordance with the invention, a software client on can use at leastone of information about the frequency of visits to location where theaccess point is and contextual closeness signified by information foundin the contacts lists and contacts history to infer a relationshipbetween the user and the AP owner/operator and subsequently determinethe associated relationship coefficient. In accordance with someembodiments of the invention, once the coefficient is determined to begreater than preset threshold, a request of access information can beinitiated whereby the wireless user terminal sends request for accessinformation. In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, therequest for access information can be sent to the terminal of the APowner/operator and the software client on the terminal of the APowner/operator, either automatically or through AP owner/operatorinteraction, grant or reject the user's request for access information.If the request of access information is granted, the terminal of the APowner/operator can send the access information to the wireless userterminal and access information (e.g., SSID, MAC information, password,key and/or other credentials) can be stored in memory at the wirelessuser terminal such that when wireless user terminal is able to connectto the AP, the wireless user terminal can establish a wirelessconnection with the AP to access the Internet.

In accordance with some embodiments, the request for access informationcan be sent to a central server that stores AP identificationinformation and/or AP owner/operator identification information andaccess information for the associated AP. In this embodiment, thecentral server, either automatically or through AP owner/operatorinteraction (e.g., a confirmation request can be transmitted to theterminal of the AP owner/operator and the software client automaticallyor through AP owner/operator interaction confirm or deny the request),grant or reject the user's request for access information. If therequest of access information is granted, the central server can sendthe access information to the wireless user terminal and the accessinformation (e.g., SSID, MAC information, password, key and/or othercredentials) can be stored in memory at the wireless user terminal suchthat when wireless user terminal is able to connect to the AP, thewireless user terminal can establish a wireless connection with the APto access the Internet.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the method forobtaining access to the AP can be performed in off-line mode (asdescribed above) wherein the wireless user terminal is not able toconnect to the AP, but periodically evaluates one or more of therelationship coefficients for a given AP to compare it with thepredefined threshold. Where the relationship coefficient meets orexceeds the threshold, the software client on the wireless user terminalcan initiate a process whereby a request for access information istransmitted either to the terminal of the AP owner/operator or to one ormore central servers that are configured and authorized to distributeaccess information for a given AP.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the method forobtaining access to the AP can be performed in real time. In thisembodiment, the wireless user terminal can be at a location where it candiscover and connect to the AP. In accordance with this embodiment ofthe invention, a software client on the wireless user terminal can beconfigured to detect a specific AP and send a query to one or morecentral servers to search its database for the AP owner/operatoridentification information (e.g., the AP owner/operator identificationinformation can be associated with an SSID and MAC address in thedatabase). If the AP owner/operator identification information is foundin the database of the central server, the AP owner/operatoridentification information can be transmitted to the software client atthe wireless user terminal. The software client at the wireless userterminal can search for the AP owner/operator identification information(e.g., the phone number) in the user's contact list or the history logs.If any of the AP owner/operator identification information is found thecontact list or the history logs, the software client can count thenumber of communications (e.g., calls, SMS message, email messages) anddetermine one or more relationship coefficients. If one or more of therelationship coefficients meet or exceed the predefined threshold, thesoftware client can initiate the process to request access informationfor the AP.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a software clientcan be provided on one or more wireless user terminals that can beprogrammed and configured to implement one or more of the functionsdescribed herein. The terminal of the AP owner/operator can be either awireless terminal or a wired terminal connected to a network such as theInternet. The terminal of the AP owner/operator can include a softwareclient or software program configured to implement one or more of thefunctions describe herein. The central server can include serversoftware or a software application that enables wireless user terminalsand terminals of the AP owner/operator to communicate with it. Thecommunications between the wireless user terminal, the terminal of theAP owner/operator and the central server can be accomplished using anyknow messaging method, including email, SMS or text messages,proprietary messaging.

The software client can include one or modules or components that areprogrammed and configured to perform one or more of the functionsdescribed herein.

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of a method 300 for offline pairing andsharing of network access information for private access pointsaccording to some embodiments of the invention. At 302, the wirelessuser terminal, for example using software executed thereon, selects awireless network AP which was previously detected and at 304 determineswhether the AP is a public or private type of AP. A public AP is an APthat is probably open to the public and does not require a key, passwordor credentials to gain access. A private AP is an AP that is not open tothe public and likely will require a key, password or credentials togain access. The wireless user terminal can check information stored inmemory regarding the AP to determine whether a key, password orcredentials were needed to access the network through the AP. Where theAP is a public AP, the process branches to separate process for handlingpublic APs. Where the AP is a private AP, the process continues at 308where AP owner/operator identifying information is obtained by eitherlooking up the AP owner/operator identifying information in either alocal table in the wireless user terminal or looking up the APowner/operator identifying information in information stored on acentral server, such as central server 120. The wireless user terminalcan send the SSID and MAC address of the AP to the central server andthe central server can search its files or a database to determine ifthe AP owner/operator identifying information is found in the database.If the SSID and MAC address are found by the central server, the APowner/operator identifying information (e.g., a telephone number or anemail address0 associated with the AP can be returned to the wirelessuser terminal. At 312, the wireless user terminal can search informationstored on the wireless user terminal that indicates whether the user ofthe wireless user terminal has communicated with the AP owner/operator.For example, the telephone contact list can be searched to determinewhether the AP owner/operator is in the user's contact list.Alternatively, the call history, the SMS message inbox/history and theemail history can be searched. At 314, if the AP owner/operator'scontact information is found in the contact list, call history, SMShistory or any other communication history or log in the wireless userdevice, there is a likelihood that the user and the AP owner/operatorhave a relationship that can trigger, at 318, the transmission of arequest, either to the user terminal of the AP owner/operator or to thecentral server requesting access information for the AP.

At 320, the user terminal of the AP owner/operator can receive therequest and confirm that the requestor and the owner/operator alreadyhave relationship. At 322, the AP owner/operator user terminal cansearch its contacts, call history, SMS history and email to determinewhether an identifier of the user, (e.g., the phone number or emailaddress) is found. If the user identifying information is found, the APowner/operator user terminal proceeds to 324 to determine whether toautomatically send the access information, at 328 or query the APowner/operator to obtain confirmation that the access information can besent to the wireless user terminal at 326.

At 314, if the user, if the AP owner/operator's contact information isnot found in the contact list, call history, SMS history or any othercommunication history or log in the wireless user device the processclears the working information and returns to 302 where a new AP isselected.

At 322, if the user identifying information is not found, the APowner/operator user terminal proceeds to clear the working informationand returns to 302 where a new AP is selected.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of a method 400 for real time pairing andsharing of network access information for private access pointsaccording to some embodiments of the invention. At 401, the wirelessuser terminal updates its AP cache (information about APs within reach)and scans for APs within reach. At 402, the wireless user terminalselects an AP and checks its AP cache to determine if information aboutthe selected AP is found in the AP cache, for example using softwareexecuted thereon, and at 404 determines whether the AP is a public orprivate type of AP. A public AP is an AP that is probably open to thepublic and does not require a key, password or credentials to gainaccess. A private AP is an AP that is not open to the public and likelywill require a key, password or credentials to gain access. The wirelessuser terminal can check information stored in memory regarding the AP todetermine whether a key, password or credentials were needed to accessthe network through the AP. Where the AP is a public AP, the processbranches to separate process for handling public APs. Where the AP is aprivate AP, the process continues at 408 where AP owner/operatoridentifying information is obtained by looking up the AP owner/operatoridentifying information in either a local table in the wireless userterminal or looking up the AP owner/operator identifying information ininformation stored on a central server, such as central server 120. Thewireless user terminal can send the SSID and MAC address of the AP tothe central server and the central server can search its files or adatabase to determine if the AP owner/operator identifying informationis found in the database. If the SSID and MAC address are found by thecentral server, the AP owner/operator identifying information (e.g., atelephone number or an email address0 associated with the AP can bereturned to the wireless user terminal. At 412, the wireless userterminal can search information stored on the wireless user terminalthat indicates whether the user of the wireless user terminal hascommunicated with the AP owner/operator. For example, the telephonecontact list can be searched to determine whether the AP owner/operatoris in the user's contact list. Alternatively, the call history, the SMSmessage inbox/history and the email history can be searched. At 414, ifthe AP owner/operator's contact information is found in the contactlist, call history, SMS history or any other communication history orlog in the wireless user device, there is a likelihood that the user andthe AP owner/operator have a relationship that can trigger, at 418, thetransmission of a request, either to the user terminal of the APowner/operator or to the central server requesting access informationfor the AP.

At 420, the user terminal of the AP owner/operator can receive therequest and confirm that the requestor and the owner/operator alreadyhave relationship. At 422, the AP owner/operator user terminal cansearch its contacts, call history, SMS history and email to determinewhether an identifier of the user, (e.g., the phone number or emailaddress) is found. If the user identifying information is found, the APowner/operator user terminal proceeds to 424 to determine whether toautomatically send the access information, at 428 or query the APowner/operator to obtain confirmation that the access information can besent to the wireless user terminal at 426.

At 414, if the user, if the AP owner/operator's contact information isnot found in the contact list, call history, SMS history or any othercommunication history or log in the wireless user device the processclears the working information and returns to 302 where a new AP isselected.

At 422, if the user identifying information is not found, the APowner/operator user terminal proceeds to clear the working informationand returns to 302 where a new AP is selected.

FIG. 5 shows a method for handling public AP 500 according to someembodiments of the invention. At 502, the wireless user terminal, forexample using software, selects an AP and retrieves information storedin memory about the AP. At 504, a request is presented on the display ofthe wireless user terminal to the user requesting the user to approvethe selected AP. At 506, if the selection is approved, the processproceeds to 508 and the wireless user terminal attempts to connect tothe selected AP. At 506, if the selection is not approved, the processproceeds to 510 which tests whether all APs in range have been presentedto the user. At 510, if any APs in range remain to be presented, theprocess returns to 502 and a new AP is selected. At 510, if all the APsin range have been presented then the procedure stops.

FIG. 6 shows a diagram depicting the relationships between variouselements of the present invention. In accordance with some embodimentsof the invention, the devices include wireless user terminals 602,wireless network access points 604, one or more servers 606, and therelation coefficients 610 which indicate a likelihood that theowner/operator of a wireless of a wireless AP will provide accessinformation to the user. In addition, the wireless use terminals 602 canbe programmed and configured to communicate with and transmit AP reportsto one or more of the servers 606. The reports can include some or allof the information determined by the wireless user terminal 602 for eachaccess point 604 that comes into range. In addition, one or more of theservers 606 can provide provisioning to the wireless user terminals 602to enable the wireless user terminals to information about access points604 in cache, for example, for use in offline mode.

Other embodiments are within the scope and spirit of the invention. Forexample, due to the nature of software, functions described above can beimplemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, orcombinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may alsobe physically located at various positions, including being distributedsuch that portions of functions are implemented at different physicallocations.

Further, while the description above refers to the invention, thedescription may include more than one invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method in a wireless user terminal forselecting a network access point for offloading network traffic from afirst network to a second network, wherein network access information isneed to connect to the second network through the network access point,the method comprising: determining a measure of frequency during whichthe wireless user terminal discovers that the network access point iswithin range; determining whether the measure of frequency exceeds apredefined threshold; if the measure of frequency exceeds the predefinedthreshold, obtaining at least one piece of information identifying anoperator of the network access point; searching a contacts list in thewireless user terminal for the at least one piece of informationidentifying an operator of the network access point; and if the at leastone piece of information identifying an operator of the network accesspoint is found the contacts list, sending a request for network accessinformation to an operator of the network access point.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein the operator of the network access point isassociated with an operator terminal, the method further comprisingdetermining whether the wireless user terminal has communicated with theoperator terminal.
 3. The method according to claim 2 where determiningwhether the wireless user terminal has communicated with the operatorterminal includes searching a call history log in the wireless userterminal for an identifier associated with the network access pointoperator.
 4. The method according to claim 2 where determining whetherthe wireless user terminal has communicated with the operator terminalincludes searching an SMS history log in the wireless user terminal foran identifier associated with the network access point operator.
 5. Themethod according to claim 2 where determining whether the wireless userterminal has communicated with the operator terminal includes searchingan email log in the wireless user terminal for an identifier associatedwith the network access point operator.
 6. The method according to claim2 wherein, if it is determined that the wireless user terminal hascommunicated with the operator terminal, sending a request for networkaccess information to an operator of the network access point.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1 further comprising computing a firstrelationship coefficient as a function of the measure of frequency;comparing the first relationship coefficient to a predefined threshold;and sending a request for network access information to an operator ofthe network access point if the first relationship coefficient is equalor greater than the predefined threshold.
 8. The method according toclaim 7 further comprising determining a second relationship coefficientas a function whether the at least one piece of information identifyingan operator of the network access point is found the contacts list; andsending a request for network access information to an operator of thenetwork access point if the second relationship coefficient is equal orgreater than the predefined threshold.
 9. The method according to claim8 further comprising determining a third relationship coefficient as afunction whether the at least one piece of information identifying anoperator of the network access point is found the call history; andsending a request for network access information to an operator of thenetwork access point if the third relationship coefficient is equal orgreater than the predefined threshold.
 10. The method according to claim9 further comprising determining a fourth relationship coefficient as afunction whether the at least one piece of information identifying anoperator of the network access point is found the SMS log; and sending arequest for network access information to an operator of the networkaccess point if the fourth relationship coefficient is equal or greaterthan the predefined threshold.